Author's Note: Hello, everyone. I'm back in the Pokemon fandom, but this time with a very ambitious project. I've had this story in my head for years, but only just now got around to perfecting it. I wasn't planning on writing it, but an author I liked, who wrote Journey of an Autistic Trainer (IT'S SO GOOD PLEASE GO READ IT!) went on hiatus to work on his novels. He is one of my dearest friends, and I aspire to be like him, so I'm writing this both for myself, for him, and for any and all autistic people out there. I want to write a story that tells people, "Hey! It's okay to be autistic! It's nothing bad, it's just a part of who you are, but it doesn't define you! And even though there are people out there who don't understand, it's okay to be you." I really hope I can do this right, as I myself am struggling to recover from some backlash from another fandom. I do hope you enjoy it, and if there's anything you feel I can improve upon, don't be afraid to bring it up or offer suggestions! I'm open to any con-crit as long as its civilized and rational in nature. Happy reading!

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon. It belongs to Satoshi Tajiri, Game Freak, Nintendo, and other associated parties (also, fun fact: Satoshi Tajiri is autistic!).

Pokemon: A Marvelous Journey

Chapter 1: A Surprise Friend

New Bark Town. An odd name for a town, yes, but a small town a few miles east of the bigger and prettier Cherrygrove City, it was considered a quaint, peaceful, quiet little community known for the fresh fir trees that would grow all throughout the year, which many would use for Christmas trees. It wasn't big like other cities by any stretch. Any stores it had were relatively small and didn't exactly have a variety of brand name goods. Mostly small places and family run businesses. In fact, most people referred to it as a town, not a city, as it didn't have skyscrapers or anything like that. It didn't even have its own school. Any kids who lived in New Bark Town either went to the school in Cherrygrove or the one in Violet City depending on how many students the former school could accommodate.

New Bark Town was small, and the residents liked it that way. While it did get caught up in the wave of industrialization that drowned most of the Johto region in the past decades, paved roads and modern technology and the like, the communities still managed to stay together and do what they always did. Even so, New Bark Town stood out as a town that seemed to be one with nature, boasting lush trees, gardens with flowers in abundance, reds, blues, whites, and purples dotting the fields, and grass grew tall and wild, unrestrained, making it stand as a monument to nature. It helped that many of the native pokemon there were relatively tame and easy to domesticate.

For those not in the know, Pokemon, also known as Pocket Monsters (No, they don't fit in your pocket if that's what you're thinking), are basically the animals of this world. Unlike regular animals, they are far more intelligent, more so than most humans give them credit for, capable of understanding human speech. They come in all shapes, sizes, and elements. Some can be as small as an eraser, while others are as big as giant cruise ships, maybe even bigger. There are many pokemon in this world, with over 700 confirmed species worldwide, with possibly more undiscovered species lurking around. Whether it be soaring the vast blue skies, digging deep in the earth's mantle and crust, frolicking in the grassy terrain, leaping in the thick jungles, and even in the endless cosmos of stars itself, space, pokemon are everywhere, and humans rely on them for many things. For some, pokemon are pets. Others pit them against other pokemon in non-lethal, completely safe battles as long as they obeyed battle regulations. There are people who make careers out of battling others and helping train pokemon. Tragically, there are also those who use them for crimes, ranging from petty crimes to horrific and downright unspeakable crimes. Basically, pokemon and humans alike dominated the world, and both species have coexisted for thousands of years.

In terms of raising pokemon, one couple was known almost all throughout their neighborhood for doing just that, and in great numbers. Neatly tucked away on a meadow was an average, middle class house painted yellow crowned with a white roof, with a six-foot wooden fence circling almost an entire acre of land in the back, housing many pokemon, some large, some small. Some reddish orange flower pots decorated the front porch, giving it a warm, welcoming atmosphere. A dark blue mailbox stood tall near the front door, with the word Parisa on the front written in white.

On a warm, sun-kissed morning in tiny New Bark Town, a young girl sat on her bed, a heavy book in hand, her dark brown bangs dangling over her forehead. Green eyes flickered across the pages as she read, "The Beginner's Guide To Raising Pokemon" written across its cover. It was a book every trainer needed, explaining the qualities needed to tend and train to their pokemon friends.

Sitting on her white book shelf, a pikachu shaped clock read 8:20 AM.

"Bliss-ee!"

The girl's head snapped up, hair falling into her face as she started at the white and pink pokemon's unnoticed entry. Then a small grin touched her face.

"Hi, Blissey!" The girl moseyed over to Blissey and wrapped her arms around her, trapping her in a hug. Blissey simply closed its eyes and put its stubby arms on the girl. "You're so nice to hug!"

"Bliss-eey!"

The girl took her arms off of Blissey. "So what's up?"

"Blissey blissey!" The Blissey chirped in a sing-song voice.

"You're wishing me happy birthday?" The girl's eyes glimmered with joy as she translated the Pokemon's words, her hands clasping together. "Thank you!"

Blissey jabbered on some more. "Mom wants me downstairs? Sure. I'll be down in a jiffy!" The girl ran back to the bed, slipped a small bookmark in her book, closed it shut, and darted down the stairs, going right past Blissey. The big pink and white Pokemon simply smiled and followed her from behind at a slower pace. A calendar that she passed had a red circle around a particular date. June 25th, with the words "Julia's 11th Birthday!" written in black pen ink right in the middle.

She had gotten herself dressed long before hand so she would be ready right from the get-go. Today she chose a favorite choice of raiment: a periwinkle, short sleeved hoodie with a pocket in the middle covering a sleeveless white top, a pair of light rosy pink shorts, white ankle socks with pink stars on them, and blue sneakers. Already, her nostrils could whiff the sweet, buttery smell of fresh toast right out of the toaster.

She ran right by a large, chubby man with dark brown hair sitting at the dining room table, reading the newspaper with one hand, and holding a mug of black coffee with the other. "Hi Dad!" Julia exclaimed cheerfully.

The bespectacled man looked up at his daughter with his deep blue eyes, soft like a clear lake on a summer day. "Morning sweetie. Happy birthday."

"Thanks, Dad!" Julia grabbed a banana, peeled its skin off, and scarfed down the insides without a second thought. An older woman with frizzy light brown hair stretching down to her back and pale green eyes greeted Julia with a smile. "Hello, Julia. Happy birthday," She handed her daughter the toast, and Julia ran to the dining room table with it. "You're pretty bouncy and chipper today."

"Why wouldn't I be?!" Julia chirruped before taking a bite of her toast. "I get my own Pokemon today! Isn't this awesome, Mom?! Now I get to have a very special forever friend of my very own!" She talked so loud she didn't notice a girl in the living room, sprawled out on the couch scrolling through her phone. Said girl facepalmed and let out an irritated groan.

"Kassia. Are you seeing this?" Julia's father asked. Kassia came over and peered down at the newspaper. "There's more and more cases of Pokemon being taken from their trainers and being sold on the black market. Isn't this just terrible?"

Kassia's eyebrows furrowed, and her mouth formed a frown. "It is. Don't these people have better things to do in their lives than hurt, steal, and sell Pokemon?" She fixed her gaze on Julia. "Have you decided which Pokemon you're going to get at Professor Elm's lab?"

"Of course!" Julia rummaged through her pocket and pulled out a photo of a small, pale yellow Pokemon with shiny red eyes and a big green leaf on its head. "Chikorita! It's the cutest of the bunch!"

Her mother's smile returned. "I see! Chikorita was my first Pokemon when I was starting out. I guess I can't say I'm surprised," Kassia said with a chuckle.

By this time, Julia had finished her breakfast. "I'm gonna go in the ranch so I can tell everyone about it!" Without stopping to put her plate away, Julia burst through the back door without a second thought.

Right in her backyard was a huge, green meadow that stretched out for miles, all encased by a wired fence meant to keep pokemon from escaping. The meadow was overrun with all kinds of Pokemon. Some of the bigger ones were a large yellow fox with nine fluffy tails, a green dinosaur with a big pink flower around its neck, a large yellow sheep-like creature with black stripes and no fur, a bug covered in shiny red armor, a big brown bear with a yellow ring on its abdomen, etc. To the normal child, seeing all these big Pokemon would be somewhat scary. But to Julia, it was as commonplace as waking up every day.

"Morning everyooooone! Guess whaaaat?!" Julia yelled loud enough for all to hear. The Pokemon all turned their heads to face her, wondering what the hubbub was all about. "I'm gonna get my first Pokemon todaaaaaay! Isn't that awesoooooome?!"

It was here that the big green dinosaur approached her, tilting its head to one side. "Manyuu?"

"Hi there, Meganium!"

"Mega mega!"

"Guess what? I'm gonna get a Chikorita at Professor Elm's lab today!" Julia talked to her mother's Meganium like they had been friends for years. Then again, they had been. "It's gonna be so great! I'm gonna have a friend of my very own to play with forever and ever! I've always wanted my own Pokemon, and Chikorita's my favorite out of all the starters, and we can be best friends! Don't you think that's great?"

The joy in her voice was unmistakable. All Meganium did was smile and nod like it understood everything she said. "Mega mega."

"If it's a boy, I'll name him Florian. If it's a girl, I'll name her either Megan, Chloris, or Midori! How's that?" Julia asked curiously.

Meganium didn't say a word. It did let out an odd snorty sound. Julia simply smiled sweetly, like she always did when meeting the Pokemon. She flapped her hands up and down while jumping up and down, squealing like a little kid. "This is soooooo awesome! I can't wait I can't wait I can't wait I can't waaaait!"

The big bear Pokemon wasn't bothered by her squealing, letting out a big yawn before drifting back to sleep. The yellow fox Pokemon simply smiled and walked to another part of the meadow. The sheep Pokemon simply nudged Julia's face and cooed as it nuzzled her. Julia couldn't help but laugh sweetly.

"Hi, Ampharos!" Julia chirruped, stroking Ampharos's cheeks gently. "I know, right? I'm gonna get a new friend! Isn't this great?"

CRASH! All the joy was suddenly knocked out of her system by the thundering sound of crashing glass. It made Julia jump at least an inch off the ground, and her eyes got so wide they looked like saucers. All the other Pokemon held their heads up in surprise. The sound of crashing glass wasn't anything anyone heard every day.

"Get out of my face, you freakin' piece of sentient trash!" A shrill, hysterical voice screamed at the top of her lungs.

"Vapooor!"

"Oh no!" Julia wasted no time running back into the house. A blue four legged creature was running all over the house with a look of fear on its face. An older girl of about thirteen with light brown hair tied in a ponytail held a spatula in her hand, chasing it all over, ice blue eyes blazing with rage.

Julia ran into the dining room and saw that one of her mother's flower vases had fallen onto the floor, reduced to nothing but large shards. A sentret was quietly poking the glass shard gently, taking care not to cut itself on a sharp edge. Some withered flowers scattered on the floor, and a sunflora picked them up, putting them in the trash can in the kitchen diligently. Next to the sentret was a tennis ball. Julia deduced that might have been what broke the vase.

"Amara, no!" Kassia cried. "Leave Vaporeon alone!" Finally, she managed to grab the girl by both arms and restrain her, much to Amara's infuriation. Amara kicked her legs up and down and screeched. Vaporeon ran into Julia's arms like a lost child looking for its mother and buried himself in her warm, loving arms.

"It stepped on my I-pod!" Amara screamed, her eyes red with fury. "I paid a thousand bucks for that thing!"

"Vaporeon vaporeon!" Vaporeon cried.

"Vaporeon says it was an accident. It didn't mean to step on your Ipod," Julia told her.

"I can't listen to my durn music anymore and it's all your fault, you idiot!" Amara screamed. Julia's hands flew to her ears, and she squeezed her eyes shut. Amara's yelling pounded on her ears, and despite her hands shielding them, the yelling wasn't muffled enough. The sentret and the sunflora stopped to nervously observe the chaotic scene playing out before them.

"Amara! Stop this right now!" Kassia scolded. "You wonder why your trainer's license got confiscated! This needs to stop!"

Amara pried herself out of Kassia's grasp and slammed her fist on the dining room table. Julia was quick to take vaporeon, sentret, and sunflora out of the room. "Oh, so it's my fault my I-pod got destroyed?! My God, I swear you care way more about that spoiled brat and these stupid beasts than you do me! You wonder why I freakin' hate you so much!"

"I'm not blaming you for anything! You need to learn to take responsibility for your actions, and you can't treat pokemon like they're your punching bags!" Kassia argued, running her hands through her hair. When was this going to end?

"Why does Julia get a Pokemon?! What makes her so freakin' special?! Why do you care so much about everyone else but me?!"

Julia, vaporeon, sentret, and sunflora all gathered in her bedroom, huddled together. Sunflora had her leafy arms right on Julia's ears, protecting them from the booming sounds of Amara's yelling. "Thanks, Sunflora. You're the best," Julia told her gratefully. "Sunflora!" The sentient flower chirruped with a forced smile.

The sounds of Kassia and Amara arguing had become a common occurrence in the Parisa household. There was never a day when her mother and sister weren't arguing over something stupid, and it was mostly Amara starting all the arguments, usually by making a big deal out of something small. She always had a short fuse. She certainly wasn't like this when she was young. In fact, Amara used to be nice and kind. But all of a sudden, she became moody, rebellious, argumentative, and even cruel. Not just toward people, but Pokemon.

Her sudden change in personality happened after she got her first Pokemon two years ago. It was a totodile. Julia liked that blue alligator pokemon and it's happy, peppy, and energetic personality, and playing tag with it had been a regular occurrence for about a year. One day, out of the blue, Kassia had gone out with her meganium to water some flowers...only to witness a horrible sight: Amara had been beating her totodile with a rock! Luckily, it wasn't badly hurt, and Kassia's meganium was able to stop the beating before it could turn deadly. By law, Kassia had to take Amara to the police. That was when Kassia learned the awful truth: this wasn't the first time it happened. Other witnesses had come forward, saying that they saw Amara kicking and punching innocent pokemon for no real reason, treating them like her personal punching bags.

After going through court sessions and witness accounts, it was decided that Amara be stripped of her trainer's license and put on the Trainer Blacklist indefinitely. That was a court sponsored document that had names of any ex-trainers who harmed or mistreated pokemon in any fashion, all of whom had their trainer licenses confiscated or exterminated. Amara didn't get thrown in jail thanks to Kassia paying a fine, but she would no longer be allowed to own any of her own pokemon, and her totodile was taken from her, given to another trainer.

The only way she could get off the blacklist was to rectify her behavior, go to counseling or therapy, and promise to treat pokemon better. Amara didn't do any of these things, nor did she have any intention of doing so, and considering how sour her attitude had become, it didn't seem like she would be doing anything anytime soon. She did go to therapy, as the court mandated, but she heard her parents say that Amara was giving the counselors and therapists grief and not cooperating. It certainly didn't help that she refused to explain why she treats Pokemon the way she does, and to this day she still hasn't spilled her guts to anyone, not even the therapists.

Julia let out a sigh. "I hate it when she gets like this…"

The blue mammal let out an apologetic sob, its long ears pointing downward. Julia forced a smile and stroke his head gently. "It's okay, Vaporeon. I know you didn't mean it. I don't know why Amara's like this…"

"Sentret sentret!"

"I hear you. I kinda figured she'd flip out on my birthday too, so I'm not surprised."

SLAM! The sound of a door slamming shut made Julia's hands fly to her ears once more. This time, it was only for a brief moment. She pitied her poor parents for having to deal with Amara. In her heart, she wished there was something she could do to make their lives easier. But wasn't it about time she get her Pokemon? She remembered that her mother promised she would take her to Professor Elm's lab.

Quietly, she went out of her room and walked into the living room, noticing her mother sitting on the couch hunched over, with her hands running through her scraggly hair. Kassia let out a loud, irritated groan that told Julia that she was in no mood for talking with anyone. She knew that from experience. Julia took a step backward, looking away as she turned around and left her mother in there. Oh well. Maybe her dad could help.

As she expected, Julia found her father in his room, folding shirts and pants on his bed diligently. To think her mother would sometimes complain about how he wouldn't help out around the house sometimes. "Hey, Dad?"

Her father turned around to find his youngest daughter behind him. "Oh! Hey there, Jules! Sorry about that fiasco just now," He said as he put down a folded shirt. "How come Kassia hasn't taken you to Elm's yet?"

"She's in a bad mood," Julia answered, tapping a foot on the floor twice.

Her father rubbed his head with a big hand. "I'm not surprised. If you want, I can-" Before he could fulfill Julia's request, his big black cell phone let out a ringtone that sounded very much like a race car going at high speed. Since it was at a high volume, Julia's hands flew to her ears once more. He was quick to answer it. "Hello?"

"Hey, Truman!" The scratchy voice on the other end was so loud, Julia was able to hear it. It was here that sentret and vaporeon peeked into the bedroom.

"Hey, Lawrence!" Truman replied. "Yes. Yes. What?!" Truman yelped, his glasses falling down his nose. "Right now?! Why didn't you tell me this last week?! I would have delivered it to you right then and there!"

"Sorry. It slipped my mind."

Truman let out a sigh. The sentret and vaporeon gave each other confused looks. "Alright. I'll be there in a jiffy. Bye," With that, he hit the end button and stashed his phone in his pocket. "Sorry, Jules. That was Lawrence. I have to go and deliver some papers to him right now."

"What?!" Julia couldn't believe it. "Right now? But his house is twenty minutes away from here, and what if my Chikorita gets taken by another trainer?!"

Truman put a hand on his daughter's shoulder, looking her in the eye with a sympathetic expression. It pained him to see his daughter disappointed, especially on her birthday, no less. He wished that Lawrence requested them last week so he wouldn't have to do this on her special day.

"It'll be alright, sweetie. Elm's a good guy. We told him about this in advance, so I'm sure he has one just for you. I'll try to come back as quickly as I can, and I'll pick you up so we can go to Elm's lab to pick it up together. Promise?"

Despite his reassurance, Julia could feel doubt gnawing at her heart like an arbok swallowing its prey whole. She was always one to be punctual, to get to any place she wanted to at a certain time, on time, so everything could go smoothly. She hated it when things like this happened, even though she understood that sometimes things like this were inevitable. Besides, if she couldn't get a Chikorita today, she could always get one tomorrow, or even a week after. "Sure."

"That's good. I'll be back soon!" With that, Truman grabbed his keys and rushed out the door. Julia could hear the motor in his black Mercedes roar as he turned on the ignition, and watched as he drove away.

When the car left, Julia went downstairs to find Kassia in the den, lying on the couch, watching yet another show about soon-to-be brides trying on fancy white wedding dresses. She went into the living room and plopped on the couch. "Just great! This just haaaad to happen on my birthday, didn't it?!" She hated complaining, and knew it wouldn't do any good, but she needed to let her feelings out somehow.

She had been looking forward to this day for six months straight. She had planned everything. The time to get there, the pokemon she would pick, the name she'd give it, she even bought two accessories for it with her own money. One was a pink and white ribbon with a darker pink fake jewel on it in case the pokemon was a girl, and the other was a silver and blue ankle bracelet in case it was a boy. Amara just had to ruin it with her yelling. Now some trainer would probably get her chikorita before she could.

Come to think of it, Professor Elm's lab was just a five minute walk from here. If that was the case...then what was stopping her from going there by herself? She and her family had passed the lab a million times throughout her life, so she knew where it was. If she could try going there by herself, she could go get her chikorita on time, that way Kassia and Truman wouldn't have to.

It would be that easy. Julia hopped off of the couch right as some pokemon approached her. "Mom's always telling me I need to do more things by myself, so it'll be perfect!" She darted into the kitchen, grabbed a piece of paper and a pen, wrote something down, and slapped it on the kitchen counter. She grabbed her pink house key and quietly closed the door behind her.

She didn't get one step past the porch because some pokemon squeaked, catching her attention. One was a yellow and white shrew pokemon, sandshrew. The other was a blue plant with big green leaves on it, an oddish. Another was a purple and white rat, a rattata. Another was a sentient piece of pink and white coral, a corsola.

"Rattata!"

"Sand! Shrew!"

"Odd odd oddish!"

"Corsola!"

"Hey guys!" Julia kneeled down to their level and put a finger in front of her mouth. "I'm going to Professor Elm's lab to get my friend. I'll be back in a few minutes. Okay?" The pokemon nodded in unison. With that, she stood back up and walked away. "Here goes nothing!"

Some other pokemon, such as a bellossom, a miltank, and a big blastoise watched as she quietly and contentedly walked away from the Parisa house. "Bella bella!" The bellossom chirped with a bright smile, waving its stubby hand right at her. Julia waved right back before turning left at the sign.

The sound of a soft, gentle breeze echoed in her ears, rustling the green leaves on the big trees, making them sound as though they were whispering. Was this the passing of a god? She couldn't help but breathe in willfully as she walked, enjoying the tranquility that lay in the air. Her mind cleared, but one thing didn't change: she was going to get her pokemon today. A large building came into view, with a big sign in front of it reading Professor Elm Lab. This was it!

"Yay! I'm here!" She found herself running toward the building, right as a young girl with flowing orange hair came out the doors with a pokeball in her hand. "Whoa!" Luckily, she saw her in the nick of time and stopped right before she could potentially knock her over. "Whoops! Sorry about that!"

The orange haired girl chuckled. "It's okay. Are you here for a pokemon, too?" She asked in a clear, pretty voice.

Julia's cheeks burned. "Uh...Y-Y-Y-Yeah!"

"You have a good one."

"Y-Y-Y-You too!" With that, the girl walked away, and Julia let out a relieved sigh. "Glad that didn't last long."

Now that the coast was clear, she approached the automatic doors, which opened as she was only a foot away from them. She walked inside without a word, glancing at the clean walls, the odd machines that beeped and flashed multicolored lights, the desk that had three red and white pokeballs on them.

"Excuse me!" She called out. No response. "Hello? Is anyone here?"

Finally, she saw a man looking deep into a microscope. He was a plain, lanky man dressed in a clean white lab coat, his dark eyes obscured by his thick glasses, and the tuft of brown hair on his head didn't exactly make him handsome. Julia recognized him right away. "Professor Elm!"

"Yes?" He replied insouciantly, not taking his eyes off of his microscope for a second.

"H-He-Hello! I-I'm Julia Parisa. I live down the road a bend?"

"Yes."

Julia couldn't help but be a little confused. Sure, it was nice that he was absorbed in his research, but she couldn't help but be a little annoyed at his lack of attention. The least he could do was say hi. "Umm...I'm here to pick up my pokemon."

"Which one?"

"A chikorita? My dad told you about it. Y'know, Truman Parisa? You guys talked and said I could get one today?"

"Sorry. The last one was taken just now. There are no more pokemon left."

"WHAT?!" She screamed so loud, it was enough to make Professor Elm finally take his eyes off of his microscope. She thought her ears were playing tricks on her at first. But her ears were hypersensitive, and there was no way she could mistake it for anything else. Her chikorita was taken? The pokemon she planned on getting? Gone? Just like that? Perhaps that girl from earlier took it. But it couldn't be true! She had planned for this for weeks. "Didn't you have one on reserve or something?!"

Professor Elm stammered, holding his hands up like he was being arrested. "Sorry! By law we can't put pokemon on reserve. Any trainer that comes in is allowed the option of choosing their pokemon right on the spot. There are no special reservations period," He explained ruefully.

Julia looked down at her feet with a disappointed look. "Oh. I see. So...are you going to get another one soon?" She looked up, noting the single tuft of hair on his head. She couldn't help but think it looked like misplaced pokemon hair, like from an ursaring.

"Hmm…" Professor Elm put a hand on his chin before losing himself in his thoughts for a brief moment. "I do have more pokemon on the way," He began. There was absolutely no confidence in his voice. "But the shipment won't arrive until at least another week or so. Airlines have increased their security because of Team Rocket's schemes, and security teams are investigating any and all packages to make sure there's no bombs or anything like that."

If words could be knives that could stab people in the heart until they bled, Professor Elm's answer pierced Julia's heart, splitting it in two. "A week?! Seriously?!" Her mind was running in circles. A whole week? Just to get a pokemon? She didn't think she could wait that long. Was getting a pokemon really that hard? She let out a rueful sigh. Yet another birthday disappointment. "Oh well. Thanks anyway."

"Sorry, dear."

Without another word, Julia walked out the door. "Tell your parents I said hi!" He exclaimed. Julia didn't look at him, nor did she say goodbye. Now, the pretty trees and flowers didn't delight her. Once she was on the path, she stopped and let out a wail.

"Awwwwww! I can't believe this!" Julia wailed, falling to her knees. "I should have gotten here earlieeeeeer!" She cried loud enough to make some hoothoot fly out of their trees. She sat there for a few minutes, thinking about the disappointment. Her birthday wasn't supposed to turn out this way. She wished she had left earlier. Better yet, she should have planned this out better. But she knew in a way this was inevitable, and he did say more pokemon would arrive in a week, so it wasn't all bad.

She stood back up and stretched her arms out. "This stinks, but I might as well wait. Complaining isn't gonna do any good," She told herself. "Better deal with it."

Sometimes things like this could be a blessing in disguise. God works in mysterious ways.

Julia had passed by a small rose bush when she heard it rustling rather loudly. She stopped in her tracks, freezing in place. Was it a wild pokemon? Her parents drilled it into her head that if a wild pokemon hopped out of tall grass that she run. Feral pokemon were sometimes dangerous, especially if she didn't have a pokemon of her own to hold it off. What if it was a big and dangerous pokemon? Fear overtook her, and her feet were glued to the dirt path beneath her sneakers.

She shut her eyes, fearing the worst.

"Chu!" A tiny squeak prompted her to open one eye.

Much to her surprise, it was a small pokemon. A dark yellow mouse creature with big ears shaped like diamonds with black tips. It had a black tail shaped like an L, cherry red cheeks, a pointed black neck ruffle around its neck, and small feet and arms.

"It's a pichu!" She exclaimed. The pichu was lying on its stomach, breathing heavily like it had run a marathon.

Upon closer inspection, something was odd. She had read plenty of books to know that pichu normally had light yellow fur, not dark yellow. But that wasn't the big problem. Its face was purple and pale, and sweat beaded from its face. Its tiny feet were covered in dirt and scratches, and there were fresh scratches on its body, with fresh blood trickling right out.

"Oh my goodness!" The fear morphed into concern as she kneeled down to pick up the tiny pokemon. "You poor thing! Are you okay?" She cradled the tiny pokemon in her arms like a mother holding a baby. Its body was hot to the touch, like fire. The pichu kept taking in huge breaths of air, but it's breathing was hoarse. But something about its breath was odd.

It smelled sweet, like honey.

"Poison!" Julia mused to herself. She had read a book about poison type pokemon and how their poison attacks could severely hurt pokemon, or even kill humans. It said something about a poisoned victim's breathing could smell sweet like fresh honey.

There was no denying it. She needed to get help right away. Her mother could help. She worked at a Pokemon Center. "Don't worry, little pichu! My mom can help you! Everything will be a-okay!"

Before she could rush to her house, a loud buzzing sound stopped her in her tracks. Once again, fear froze her in place. This time, it really was a dangerous pokemon. A group of large, pale yellow bees with large white wings, big white stingers, and glowing red eyes flew out of the bushes, ready to attack.

'OH NO! Beedrill!' Julia screamed in her head. With a scream, she made a beeline for the road home. The seven or eight beedrill were in hot pursuit.

Clutching the sick pichu tightly in her arms, Julia tried forcing her legs to carry her back home. She was never one for running, but she knew she had to, for this pichu's sake. With every step she took, fear turned into adrenaline, shooting right through her body. With every breath she took, the beedrill continued to fly after her, their stingers ready for piercing.

'Please don't let them hurt me please don't let them hurt me please don't let them hurt me please don't-' Julia kept reciting this mantra in her head over and over. The beedrill's buzzing became louder and louder with every step. The pichu in her arms clutched her shirt for dear life. All of a sudden, Julia's sneaker ran into a big rock, and with a yelp, she fell right down on the dirt.

Some gravel underneath the path skinned her knee, and her elbows ran right into some rocks. She struggled to get back up, but her legs felt heavy, like someone had duct taped cinder blocks on them. Julia turned around, her eyes widening with fear at the sight of even more beedrill behind her. Their glowing red eyes and their large stingers could strike fear into anyone. Her mouth fell open, and her whole body trembled. Even her hands shook. The pichu in her arms could feel her hands shaking.

Was this it? Was this how her life was going to end?

"Pichu!" Suddenly, the pichu hopped out of her arms despite wobbling. "Piii…" It flung its tiny hands in the air as sparks of yellow electricity flashed around its tiny cheeks. "CHUUUU!" A big bolt of thunder shot at the beedrill. They all managed to evade the attacks save for one beedrill, who came out of the attack roasted like roast beef.

That was enough for the pichu to completely collapse. "Pichu!" Julia caught it before it could fall down. "You tried to save me, didn't you?" This Pichu was so brave. Despite being sick with poison, it still managed to find the strength to try and save a complete stranger.

Why couldn't she be that brave?

She knew there was no way they could fight them off. Despite Julia's efforts to stand back up, two beedrill used their stingers to stab her in the back. "PICHU!" The pichu cried. They didn't stab so hard that they went through the girl, nor were they dripping with poison, but it still hurt enough to make Julia fall to the ground again.

Julia squeezed her eyes shut, held the pichu close, and let out a scream.

Someone...help…

"VAPOOOOR!" A blast of water shot at the beedrill that tried to attack her, sending it flying. Julia opened her eyes to find…

"Mom!"

Kassia stood in a battle stance, with her vaporeon by her side. "Vaporeon! Use Aurora Beam!"

"Vay!" A surge of rainbow hued light swirled around vaporeon's mouth before shooting right at the beedrill. The beam of light managed to hit three of them, encasing them in big blocks of ice. Julia took this chance to run to her mother's side.

Knowing this battle was hopeless, the beedrill conceded defeat and flew away, retreating. Julia let out a huge sigh of relief. "Oh my God! I thought I was done for!"

"Julia!"

"Mom!"

Kassia threw her arms around her daughter. "Thank goodness I made it in time! You're safe!" Kassia cried, burying her face in her daughter's shoulder for a brief moment. She then pulled it out and gave Julia a stern look. "What were you thinking?! You actually went to Elm's lab all by yourself?!"

"That's not important right now! Look!" Julia showed her mother the sick pichu. "The poor thing's sick with poison! I thought maybe you could try and help it."

"My word!" Kassia took the pichu from her daughter's arms. The pichu's body was so hot it was almost burning, like a heater on full blast. "Come on. We're taking it to Elm's lab." Immediately she marched in the direction of the lab.

"Huh?" Julia tilted her head to one side in confusion, but followed from behind. "But his lab isn't a Pokemon Center."

"I know, but he has a healing machine we can use," Kassia explained. "It works just like the ones that Pokemon Centers use."

It didn't take long for them to get to Professor Elm's lab. As soon as Kassia told him everything that happened, he took the pichu and put it in the machine without question or hesitation. Since the pichu was a wild one and didn't belong to any trainer, it was placed in another room where it was put inside a glass container. The pichu slept contentedly and it glowed in a soft blue light. Julia watched from the window as the pichu slept inside the container.

Already, her heart went out to the yellow mouse pokemon. Even though it was very severely injured and poisoned by those beedrill, as she assumed, it still tried to save her. The odds were completely against it, yet it took the chance. Julia couldn't believe that a tiny pichu could be so brave, so courageous, so willing to help a total stranger. She could see the scratches on its body gradually disappearing, and it's face relaxed, so it no longer looked twisted or contorted.

"It's a good thing you took it here," Professor Elm suddenly said from behind her.

"Is...is the pichu gonna be okay?" Julia asked shyly.

Professor Elm gave a firm nod. "Everything's going smoothly, so the pichu should be released in about fifteen minutes tops."

A smile creeped onto Julia's face, stretched toward her cheeks. "Thank goodness!" The minute he said that, it felt as though a heavy weight had been lifted off of her heart. The pichu is going to be okay! "Yes!" Julia jumped up once and twirled around like a top joyfully. She had saved the pichu.

Kassia suddenly approached her. "Julia. Why did you go to Professor Elm's lab alone? Why didn't you ask me to take you?"

Julia looked down at her feet, averting her mother's gaze. "You were in a bad mood. I didn't want to make you angrier than you already were, and...I got a little impatient. Sorry."

So that was it. Her daughter just wanted to be considerate and do something herself. Kassia had always been nagging her daughter about doing more things by herself. Perhaps this was good for her. It was definitely good for that pichu. Kassia's lips curled up and she put a hand on her shoulder. "It's okay, sweetie. Did you get your chikorita?"

"No. Professor Elm said there are none left," She replied.

"I'm going to talk with the professor for a while. You wait here, okay?"

"Yes, Mom."

Normally when she was asked to wait, Julia would get bored if she didn't have a book or games with her. Instead, when Kassia and Professor Elm went into another room, all she did was watch the pichu from the window. The scratches on its body had disappeared completely. The color had returned to its face.

Speaking of color, the pichu's darker coloring was still a strong thought in her mind. Many books she read about pokemon showed pichu being a pale yellow color. No pichu she saw had ever had dark yellow fur. Was this a new species of pichu yet to be discovered? Or just a different coloring that had recently appeared? Julia wasn't sure, and she figured Professor Elm may not have much answers on it either.

A warm feeling enveloped her heart, morphing into love as soon as the machine beeped. A woman took the pichu out of the glass container, but the pichu suddenly darted out the door. It hopped right in front of Julia, its eyes shining, flashing a bright smile that could light up an entire room.

"Pichu pichu!" The little pichu leaped into Julia's arms and nuzzled her shirt happily. "Pichu pichu pichu!"

"Whoa! Hi!" Julia exclaimed. The pichu had jumped on her so hard that she almost fell over, had she not maintained her balance. But she had to admit, the pichu's fur felt nice and soft, and it wasn't hot to the touch like before. "I'm...glad you're okay."

"Pichu!"

"Huh? Am I okay? Sure I am!"

"Pichu chuuu!"

"You're welcome," With that, the pichu chirruped as it crawled up to Julia's face and rubbed itself against it. Julia let out a merry giggle as the pichu cuddled with her. "You're so cute!" Something in her just clicked. This pichu was quite the adorable little pokemon. It didn't want to stop nuzzling her, and Julia didn't mind at all. She sat down on a chair and let the pichu shower her with cuddles.

Perhaps...she wouldn't have to wait a week for her own pokemon after all.

Kassia and Professor Elm came back into the room. "Oh! Looks like the pichu's all better now!" Professor Elm exclaimed, noting not just the pichu and its dark fur, but the fact that it was sitting in Julia's arms with a content expression on its face.

"Pichu!" The little pichu squeaked.

"Aww. It's adorable," Kassia crooned, stroking the pokemon's ear with her finger.

"Mom? Professor Elm?"

"Yes?"

"I…" Julia had to get it out. And she did. "I want this pichu!"

"What?!" Both Kassia's and Professor Elm's eyes increased in size, like they heard Julia say she wanted to play with a gyarados. They couldn't prevent the ungraceful dropping of their jaws. For a moment they were sure Julia had said something else. However, in the back of their minds, they knew that when Julia said she wanted something, she meant it.

Julia held the pichu close to her. "You heard me. I want this pichu to be my friend."

"Are you sure about this?" Professor Elm asked, rubbing his head with one hand with a doubtful expression on his bespectacled face. "That pichu's a wild pokemon, and I was planning on studying the difference in it's fur color later on."

"I am sure, Professor."

"Pichu pichu pichu pichu!"

"What's it saying?" Kassia asked.

"She's saying, 'Don't worry! I don't bite! I want to be her friend! She saved me!'" Julia translated before looking her mother right in the eye. "Mom! I promise I'll take super duper good care of her! She likes me too much already! I'll do the dishes! Clean my room every day! Do the laundry! Anything!" Julia begged. She hated the subtle whine in her voice, but she couldn't help it. "Pleeeeease, Mom?"

Professor Elm and Kassia looked at each other before whispering amongst themselves. Julia hugged the pichu, holding her close. Would her mother say no? Would Professor Elm give her permission? She could see the serious looks on their faces as they whispered in low voices. As much as she liked chikorita, she loved pichu even more, especially this one. Julia closed her eyes, awaiting yet another birthday disappointment. There was no doubt about it. They'd say no.

"Alright, Julia. You can keep Pichu."

Wait...what? Julia opened her eyes. Were her ears playing tricks on her? "What? Did you...just say yes?!"

Professor Elm nodded. "We'll let you keep the pichu. Here," He handed her a red and white pokeball, an item used to capture a pokemon. "If you catch it with this, it'll be yours for life unless you choose to release it."

Julia couldn't believe it. She got to keep the pichu. The joy inside her heart bubbled over before bursting out in the form of a loud cheer. "Yaaaay! Julia held pichu in the air and spun around, squealing and rejoicing like she had won the lottery. "Thank you thank you thank yoooouuuu!" She leaped onto Professor Elm and gave him a big hug, right as pichu hopped on her head.

"You're welcome…"

The little girl let go and looked up at her furry friend. "Isn't this great?! We're officially friends now!"

"Pichuuu!" The pichu chirruped. She seemed to like the idea of being her pokemon. Julia held the ball up so the pichu could touch it. The pichu tapped the button with its paw before turning into red light. The ball opened up, and the red light went inside. The pokeball shook for a brief moment, with the button flashing a blinking red light. Soon, the red light disappeared. "Come on out, pichu!" Julia re-opened the ball, and pichu came right back out.

"Pichu!"

"Julia?" Professor Elm brought her back to reality.

"Hm?"

"I have more gifts for you," Professor Elm held out a silver tray, which contained a small red machine, five small PokeBalls, and a small card with a photo of herself on it, along with other information. "These are your PokeDex, PokeBalls, and your trainer ID. These are essential items that a trainer needs in order to pursue their dreams," Julia took everything from the tray and examined them carefully. She stashed the PokeBalls and the trainer ID in her pocket.

"Thanks! These are great! I'm a real trainer now!" Julia cheered. Just then, it hit her. Pichu are electric type pokemon. She remembered a story she read once, about a pokemon who, with its electric powers, made light reappear in a dark land, bringing everyone happiness.

Light…

"...Hikaru."

"Chuu?"

Julia kneeled down and scooped the pichu in her arms. "Would it be okay if I named you Hikaru?" She asked politely, meeting the pichu's eyes without hesitation. Funnily enough, the pichu didn't even hesitate and let out a cute, joyful squeak, along with shaking its head in agreement.

"Pichuuuuu!"

"Alright! From this day forth, you're Hikaru Parisa!" Julia held Hikaru close and nuzzled her fur. Hikaru let out some merry giggles, basking in Julia's love and affection.

"Thank you so much, Professor Elm. We really appreciate this," Kassia told him.

"It's no problem," The lanky professor replied sheepishly.

"Hey, Hikaru! I wanna show you my house! I'll race you there!"

"Pichu!"

Julia and Hikaru darted out of the lab quicker than Kassia could stop her. "Julia! Wait!" Kassia called out, but her daughter was already far ahead of her, with Hikaru happily tagging behind. Regardless, her lips curled upward, and a warmth enveloped her heart. Her daughter was growing up fast. Now that she had her very own pokemon, there was a lot more she could learn that would really help her in life. Just seeing her happy like this sent Kassia's heart aflutter with joy.

Hikaru chased after her new trainer, happy as can be. Julia burst through the door without knocking. "I'm back!"

"Shut up, you brat!" Amara shouted from the living room couch. Still scrolling through her cell phone like usual.

'Welcome home, Julia. I missed you too. Is it really so hard for you to be nice for even a few seconds?' Julia thought to herself sarcastically. Of course Amara would greet her with a shut up. That didn't make it hurt any less. But now was not the time to angst over Amara's lack of affection. "Amara! Look! I got my new pokemon!" Julia couldn't help but show Amara Hikaru. "She's a pichu, and her name's Hikaru! Isn't she adorable?!"

The older girl barely even glanced at Hikaru. The tiny mouse flashed a smile, but it faded when Amara got up and stomped away from the couch. "Do I look like I care? You idiots are pathetic," Amara sneered with a bitter tone of voice before stomping into the kitchen.

"Sorry about her. She isn't very nice," Julia told her little friend. "Come on! Let's go to my room and play!" Both she and Hikaru ran up the stairs.

Amara stood in the kitchen, gulping down a can of cold soda. It did nothing to ease not only her anger, but jealousy. Why was Julia able to get a pokemon and she had to get hers taken away? Then again, she knew the reason why, but couldn't accept it. In fact, just seeing Julia with her new friend made flames of envy dance in her heart. In her mind, Julia didn't deserve a pokemon. What made her so special? Why did everything have to always go so swimmingly with her? Amara just couldn't understand.

She was sick of it. Sick of everything.

Julia: Pichu (Thundershock, Tail Whip, Disarming Voice, Sweet Kiss)